Article for HSJ by Judith Krichefski, Zenon Associate

In these demanding times talent
development has a powerful tool at its disposal

In uncertain times when learning and development budgets are being cut, fostering a culture of talent management has become as vital in the NHS as it is in the corporate world.  High performing people are in demand across the marketplace and organisations are striving to maintain peak performance. This demands individuals with a "can do" attitude who are not fazed at the first obstacle or hurdle. How can managers make sure they identify, develop and retain those people with the talent and capabilities required at all levels and that they demonstrate the link between interventions and results? Mental toughness is a concept that can help meet this challenge as it is directly related to performance, behaviour, wellbeing and aspirations.

Mental toughness is defined as "the capacity for an individual to deal effectively with stressors, pressures and challenges and perform to the best of their abilities irrespective of the circumstances which they find themselves. This is vital for future leaders in the NHS. So how do you measure this quality? This personal resilience is assessed through a questionnaire which provides an occupational measure of an individual's mental toughness. Challenge commitment, control (emotion and life) and confidence (abilities and interpersonal) are all measured, with breakdowns for all four components. From this questionnaire several reports are generated:

• An individual development report provides feedback to the individual together with suggestions for action on their development.

• A coaching report provides the manager/coach with a narrative about the person's leadership style and offers suggestions.

• An assessor report can be used for selection or to probe individual scores more effectively.

• A distance travelled report shows where there has been a change in behaviour It is most often used to assess the impact of a planned and delivered intervention such as training, coaching or mentoring.

• An organisational development report indicates trends or patterns within the organisation.

Personality Profiling - DISC

Aricle for HSJ by Steve Preston, Zenon Associate  

A personality profile delivers a remarkable insight into you, your characteristics and your communication style.  A personality profile gives the opportunity to know who you are, what you can offer and, most importantly, how your managers and your team perceive you.

Personality profiles often show that people are using behaviours they are not comfortable with. This causes people to be unfulfilled and stressed as they are most likely in the wrong job or the wrong career.

ConFed Conference a Complete Success

Following the recent successful ConFed conference, Zenon Consulting would like to thank all their clients and visitors who came to their stand to attend Zenon's tenth birthday the Champagne celebration.

"2009 ConFed has been a great success", said Julia Tybura, MD at Zenon Consulting. "Have had an excellent conference and it was a delight to meet old friends and make new acquaintances".

Zenon Consulting has provided HR, organisational development, project and interim management services to the NHS, wider health sector, SMEs and not for profit organisations since 1998.

Zenon Consulting will also be exhibiting at the NHS Employers event 3rd to 5th November 2009.

NHS Confederation Annual Conference and Exhibition 2009

Zenon is delighted to be attending this year’s NHS Confederation annual conference and exhibition.

10-12 June 2009, ACC, Liverpool

This is the second time Zenon Consulting has exhibited at the Confed event, and this year the Directors and some key Zenon Associates will be featuring a number of highly popular subjects that the business supports for their clients.

Working Lives

Preparing for a presentation I was giving to a group of MA students at a London university about HR careers and opportunities taken, made and missed, I reflected on the fact that I am entering my 25th year of working for a living.  How much things have changed.....   In 1984, there were no mobile phones and who had even thought of the internet as we now know it, plasma screens or ipods?

What would you do if 90% of the world’s population died from a flu virus....

What would you do if 90% of the world’s population died from a flu virus.... and you were one of only a handful of survivors?  No, I’m not talking about our Pandemic Flu policies or contingency plans.  I’m talking about the new TV series where exactly that happened.  What role would you play in that type of cataclysmic scenario?  What skills do you have that you could apply to this new way of living?  How would you feel – would you find hidden depths, talents, strength, energy and drive?  Would you take control – and be the architect of your own destiny?.....

Watching the Olympic women's weightlifting

Watching the Olympic women's weightlifting - yes, I should get out more - I was struck by the sheer focus of a Chinese woman who won gold.